Eric Bischoff: WWE Hall of Fame

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I think this is a no-brainer: Eric Bischoff deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. A lot of people only see him now for what he does in TNA, and a bit of what they saw from him as the Raw General Manager. And while his time on Raw was brilliant, Bischoff's reach in pro wrestling goes way back a full generation before that! He was the revolutionary that was brought into WCW when Ted Turner's office wouldn't accept a wrestling figure in a position of actual management. So he presented himself as a business man and snaked his way in.

He had the intelligence to listen to his talent and workers, and was responsible for bringing in Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger, and many many others. He took pro wrestling live for the first time on prime time television, even announcing WWF's tapped results live on the air to prove how different they were. He would go out of his way to do everything different. He brought in stars from the WWF as their contracts expired, and started the Monday Night Wars. You can blame him for crashing WCW, but he put it on the map and took it to the next level. Hogan, Hall, and Nash...all Bischoff. Hogan's heel turn was completely Bischoff's idea, and it took WCW from prime time to #1 in pro wrestling.

So here's the thing: does Bischoff get into the hall in the next few years? Will Vince even consider it while he's working for TNA? Has he burnt bridges that will keep him out of the Hall of Fame, or is it purely just a matter of time?

 

[Nate DaMac]

I'm not going to do what I assume a lot of others are going to and try to say that it'll never happen since Vince hates him and blah blah blah. Pretty sure he hired the dude after he saw him, firsthand, try to destroy his company for years.

That being said, I think he will get in one day. But if I had to bet, it would be posthumously so he has no worries about an embarrassment down the road.

As for whether or not he deserves it, well it depends on how you look at it. If you're one of those people who think that only WWE stars should be in the Hall, well then no, he shouldn't. His time in WWE was memorable, sure. But it was very short lived. But if you're like me and you don''t care about dumb shit like that, then yes he definitely deserves a spot. He was an important figure head in WCW, who spent nearly 2 years as the dominant organization in the world.

 

[Rayne]

While Bischoff is in TNA/IW? Not a chance. Why give your competition free advertising?

Afterwards? Eh, anything's possible in the WWE. Bret Hart ended up coming back. I don't think it'd be too likely, but I definitely wouldn't say it couldn't happen.

 

[JohnJohnson]

Absolutely not. What significant contributions has he made to the WWE? None. Is he a wrestling genius? Sure. Did he spend a short amount of time in the WWE? Sure. Though he didn't really contribute much to the company. He played the role of General Manager well and that's it. He was famous for competing against the WWE and almost putting them under. He would slander the company week in and week out and spoil their pre-recorded match results live on the air. All of his greatest accomplishments were attempts to destroy the WWE. Had this been the Wrestling Hall of Fame, then yes. But this is the WWE Hall of Fame. He gained no fame in the WWE nor did he make any significant contributions to the WWE. Some might even argue that, since WWE has the rights to WCW, it doesn't matter in which of the two companies Bischoff made his contributions. Does this mean "Living Legend" Larry Zybysko should be eligible as well? I wouldn't think that to be justifiable either. Even if the fact that he was the dominant force in the wrestling world for nearly two years, Vince was/is the dominant force for well over a decade. That's not to mention the fact that Vince beat Eric in the Monday Night Wars and eventually became his boss. So that along with the rest of his contributions to the WWE, as well as wrestling as a whole, would that warrant Vince an induction some time soon?

 

[Miakisaki]

Absolutely not. What significant contributions has he made to the WWE?

What significant contributions did many of the NWA/AWA names on the Hall of Fame list directly make to the WWE? For example, Dusty Rhodes. He had a very short tenure in the WWF before heading back to WCW, ECW, then back to WCW. He was signed to a Legends contract in 2005, and was inducted into the HoF two years later.

Like him or not Eric Bischoff will forever and always be known as the reason Vince had to kickstart the Attitude Era to begin with, and the man that took the WWF to the limit nearly bringing it down in the process. He was one of the great minds that made WCW and mid to semi-late 90s wrestling watchable and fun. It really isn't about the contributions to the WWE per se, but the contributions made to the wrestling industry as a whole. I fully expect that Sting will be inducted when he retires and is finished with TNA.

 

[#1HEEL]

No chance...

I appreciate Bischoff and all he has done and accomplished. Best GM ever in WWE history.

But Vince will simply never allow it...

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

Why wouldn't Vince allow it? He inducted Verne Gagne, Eddie Graham and Fritz Von Erich, all rival promoters who had spent little to no time in WWE, into his Hall of Fame. I doubt that it would happen any time soon, but if he inducted "Superstar" Billy Graham and Hulk Hogan, two guys that had tried to help put him in prison, and in Hogan's case had been right there with Bischoff trying to put WWE out of business, why wouldn't he eventually induct Bischoff?

 

[Wald]

I don't think Vince hates Bischoff at all, it seems to be like they have a mutual respect for each other.

To answer the question, yes he deserves it, yes he will go in, but not while he is with TNA.

I mean answer this question, would you be interested in seeing Bischoff's Hall of Fame speech? I think few would answer no

 

[Davi323]

As Nate pointed out, if Vince McMahon could put aside the fact that Bischoff almost put him out of business, and not only hire him but give him a featured role on Raw, anything is possible. Vince has made it clear with some of the previous inductions that it is NOT just about the WWE. There are guys that have never appeared in the WWE, guys that have made only minimal contributions to the WWE, guys that were great in both the WWE and another territory/promotion, and WWE lifers. Vince is about inducting people who he thinks merit it, period. If Vince McMahon thinks that Eric Bischoff's contributions to wrestling in general merit it, he will get in at some point, personal feelings against him or not.

 

[ShawnBronald]

Anyone who says Bischoff will never be in the WWE Hall of Fame is just wrong. Why would you say that? Even though he's currently working for TNA, he's kept a good relationship with Vince. Don't believe me? He openly endorsed Linda while she was running for the Senate. He always praises McMahon and WWE, even when they're not doing great. Just because he's working for another company (note I did NOT say competition), doesn't mean anything. If some of the younger posters may not recall, Bischoff worked for WCW and almost put WWF out of business. Bischoff later worked for WWE. Obviously there were no hard feelings on either end. Once Bischoff ends his relationship with TNA, he will eventually return to WWE under some sort of Legends deal or..... perhaps..... with the Network since he has lots of television/production interests and friends. This is a no-brainer, folks.

 

[The Hardcore Kid]

It'll happen. Just not anytime soon. Eric Bischoff is arguably the second most important person in this history of professional wrestling, behind only Vince McMahon himself. Without him, WCW wouldn't be what it was. Which means no Hogan, Hall and Nash; no nWo; no Goldberg; no Monday Night Wars; no anything. Which of course it could be further argued that in lieu of that, there'd be no Stone Cold, no DX, no Attitude Era. Hell, without that spark in the late 90s, pro wrestling as we know it may not even exist.

His time in WWE was memorable but not Hall of Fame worthy by its own merit, sure, but that has NEVER mattered. Not sure why some people think it does. Abdullah the Butcher was inducted last year and never wrestled for the WWF. There are plenty of other inductees that other people mentioned who made their significant contributions to the business outside of, and sometimes in direct competition to, the World Wrestling Federation. It's all a part of the tapestry of the history of wrestling, and Bischoff is a huge part of it.

That said, it almost definitely won't happen while he's in TNA. Ric Flair was on hand to see HBK get inducted, and while they mentioned him on WWE.com, they never showed him on camera and HBK said he wasn't allowed to even mention him by name. So I think CURRENT TNA employees are out. But once he ends his relationship with TNA, I really don't see why not. It'd be dumb not to.

 

[A-KO]

Bischoff in WWE HOF?

Once he is done with TNA and his fingerprints are away from that company then yeah. He introduced the Elimination Chamber (kayfabe introduction possibly, but introduced it onscreen none the less). In time the Elimination Chamber has resulted in the No Way Out PPV being renamed for Elimination Chamber.

His time in WCW should be enough to see him inducted, certainly if it is a WCW themed HOF then Bischoff, Sting, Nash, Hall, Luger, Big Show, Steiner Bros and Booker T would all be inducted on the same night with Sting as head of the class. To do that though Bischoff, Sting and Scott Steiner would need to have left TNA and retired from wrestling. Big Show would have retired too.

Can I see Eric Bischoff inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, yes. But not until he has quit TNA for good. Give it 5 years time then the WCW HoF themed night will take place.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Absolutely not. What significant contributions has he made to the WWE? None.

He challenged the WWE. Took Hogan from them and forced Vince to take off auto-pilot. Created the Monday Night Wars. Thought up the NWO. Took the cruiserweight division from Japan to the US in a huge way, putting that style of wrestling on the map. Thought up dozens of stories that are still being recycled by WWE creative today. If nothing else, he made the wrestling industry a LOT of money.

Is he a wrestling genius? Sure. Did he spend a short amount of time in the WWE? Sure. Though he didn't really contribute much to the company. He played the role of General Manager well and that's it.

That and all of the things he added to creative, his managerial skills behind the scenes, his booking experience, his marketing skills, AND what he added to the overall product as on-screen General Manager. You said it, he is a wrestling genius that spent time in WWE. Sounds good enough for me!

He was famous for competing against the WWE and almost putting them under. He would slander the company week in and week out and spoil their pre-recorded match results live on the air. All of his greatest accomplishments were attempts to destroy the WWE. Had this been the Wrestling Hall of Fame, then yes. But this is the WWE Hall of Fame.

And he made WWE better because of it! He forced them to compete, raising the bar so they didn't fall under WCW's enormous success. He drew WWF stars over to WCW, and made their returns that much bigger when WCW was bought-out. The simple fact is, without Bischoff WCW wouldn't have went live, wouldn't have gone to TNT, and wouldn't have Hogan, the NWO, or challenged the WWE at all. No Monday Night Wars. WWF could have just coasted by (like they're doing now) and been completely fine as the dominant brand in wrestling. Fact is that Bischoff challenged McMahon, and that led to some of the best wrestling in history.

He gained no fame in the WWE nor did he make any significant contributions to the WWE.

He was the single greatest General Manager in the history of the WWE. Is that enough? Brock Lesnar was only around for a few years, but that doesn't lessen his accomplishments while he WAS around.

Some might even argue that, since WWE has the rights to WCW, it doesn't matter in which of the two companies Bischoff made his contributions. Does this mean "Living Legend" Larry Zybysko should be eligible as well? I wouldn't think that to be justifiable either.

A lot of people who haven't directly worked for WWE/F in the past have been inducted, and will be inducted in the future. I don't think you realize how the wrestling world works, or how every major contribution to the industry DOES in fact affect the WWE. And yes, I know quite a few people that feel the "living legend" should go into the Hall of Fame... I would also argue that because WWE owns WCW and all its right, it is not only possible, but their responsibility to induct members into the Hall of Fame. If they don't, their legacy dies in Vince's arms.

Even if the fact that he was the dominant force in the wrestling world for nearly two years, Vince was/is the dominant force for well over a decade. That's not to mention the fact that Vince beat Eric in the Monday Night Wars and eventually became his boss.

Firstly, that's like saying John Cena doesn't deserve the Hall, because Hulk Hogan did it better for a little bit longer. They're both icons, and Cena will make it eventually. Also, Vince didn't beat Bischoff, the honest fact is that WCW killed itself, and VInce picked up the pieces. Their fall literally had nothing to do with VInce McMahon.

So that along with the rest of his contributions to the WWE, as well as wrestling as a whole, would that warrant Vince an induction some time soon?

Of course it would! To even argue that Vince shouldn't be inducted into the Hall of Fame is nonsense! I realize that's not what you're doing here, but I don't see what Vince's eligibility has to do with Bischoff's!

 

[King Patrick Star]

Eric Bischoff is one of the many WWE / WCW / ECW Legends that may not get into the WWE Hall Of Fame as long as Vince is around for the final say. This list includes Paul Heyman. I’m 100% sure that Eric will be inducted, but I think he may have to wait till the McMahon – Helmsley Fac-Gime is in full power. Things won’t necessarily be better when Vince steps down, but it will sure be different. Eric definitely deserves to be in the HOF, the WWE HOF, the WCW HOF, the TNA HOF, the Wrestling HOF, all of it.

 

[supertanno]

Bischoff deserves to be in the HOF, but not yet. Perhaps in a few years.